UFC Gym Perimeter recently celebrated its grand opening and is the first of its kind in Georgia.

Inspired by a mixed martial arts method of fitness, owner Eric Williams said there are many qualities that make the UFC experience to working out unique.

First, he said, despite what the gym’s name may conjure up for fans who watch Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on television, members will not dodge punches.

“Although we can offer sparring classes for those interested, we are more interested in offering a pure, fitness workout,” Williams said.

The gym features an eight-sided boxing ring called an octagon, weights and plenty of bags to practice boxing, kickboxing and more.

Various classes for different age groups, including children, are also offered.

“Our gym is class based,” Williams said. “What I like about our setup is that clients can come in and the instructor is going to walk them through the workout so they don’t have to plan their workouts ahead of time.”

Another important aspect to his gym, Williams said, is community.

“We pride ourselves on being community-based,” he said. “We want to know everyone’s name when they come in, know their goals and help them get there because we want to try to stay connected to our members.”

Private and advanced training with personal instructors are available.

A closely connected community is what drew Williams and his wife, Jenny, to open their business in Dunwoody.

“We looked at a couple of different areas to open this gym but we liked Dunwoody a lot,” he said. “In Dunwoody, we found that people are really connected, they know their neighbors, they are active in the community and we wanted to be there.”

Now, Williams said, he is looking forward to introducing more residents to the mixed martial arts style of fitness.

“We’ve just opened and we’ve had a lot of people coming in and trying the place out,” he said. “We encourage anyone to come in try some free classes to see if they like and enjoy this type of a workout.”

For more information, including business hours and memberships, visit www.ufcgym.com/perimeter/.

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